This invention relates to safety razors, and in particular concerns a blade unit for a safety razor. The blade unit may be attached permanently to a razor handle and either rigid with the handle or connected to it for pivotal movement. The entire razor may be disposable, i.e. intended to be discarded when the blade edges have become dulled or the blades may be replaceable. Alternatively the blade unit may consist of a cartridge releasably mounted on the handle for replacement of the cartridge when the blade edges have become blunted. As well known in the art, shaving cartridges may be mounted in fixed position or pivotally on a razor handle.
A razor blade unit generally comprises one or more blades supported by a blade carrier, guard structure for contact with the skin being shaved in front of the blade(s) and cap structure for contact with the skin being shaved behind the blade(s). The guard and cap structure can each be formed integrally with the blade carrier or may consist of a separate part assembled with the blade carrier. The guard structure, which serves to stretch the skin in front of the following blade during shaving, can take various forms. Similarly, various surface configurations for the cap have been proposed, although it does not have the same requirements as the guard as far as stretching the skin is concerned. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,712 for example there are described different surface defining arrangements for the guard and/or cap which promote pleasant tactile sensations in use of a razor with the intention of masking the unfavorable feelings produced by the movement blade edges over the skin and their contact with the facial hairs. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,537 there is disclosed a cap surface defined by a series of flat-topped posts spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the blade edges to leave exit channels for shaving debris. In recent years it has become common practice to equip shaving cartridges with lubricating strips which form the cap and which in use discharge small amounts of lubricant to reduce friction during shaving. The strips of lubricating material produce very favorable results, but have a disadvantage in that they tend to suffer from wear as the lubricant is used up and can become rather unsightly. These problems are not very serious in the case of disposable razors, or shaving cartridges, since the lubricating strip is in effect renewed whenever a fresh blade is used. Nonetheless, there is a need for a cap which will produce similar results to a lubricating strip, but which has a substantially longer service lifetime.